Ratchet & Clank: Revenge of the Machines
by RobotAuction
Summary: After a quake tore through Veldin, Ratchet and Clank were forced to move to Meridian City. With Ratchet upset about leaving his only home he ever had, and with Clank trying his best to cheer Ratchet up, Captain Qwark just makes it worse.
1. Ratchet's Kryptonite

_After a quake tore through Veldin, Ratchet and Clank were forced to move to Meridian City. With Ratchet upset about leaving his only home he ever had, and with Clank trying his best to cheer Ratchet up, Captain Qwark just makes it worse._

Space.

It's so huge that if you lost your grilled cheese sandwich in it, it would be almost impossible to find. The magnificent glory of the thriving planets, the sheet of billions among billions of stars and the mysteries that lies deep within a black hole. In fact, space is homed to millions of life forms, commonly known to Earth folk as "aliens". Some friendly, some...not so friendly. Some living organisms while others living machines. No matter the species, they all play a part in maintaining life in this mysterious universe they call home. There are protectors and there are outlaws. There are Antagonists and Protagonists. There is peace and there is adversity. However, in the face of this adversity, the courageous must stand up and fight against it to restore peace in these vast plains of space.

And these courageous citizens of space are two heroes whose names we like to know as -

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RATCHET & CLANK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**Chapter 1: Ratchet's Kryptonite**

Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click.  
"Ratchet, would you be kind enough to stop clicking that pen."

Clank, with a stack of 5 books in his arms, shifted his weight towards a small bookcase. With a big shove he pushed the books into a neat pile. On the other side of the room sat Ratchet. He was leaning over a desk gazing over a To-do list.

As the clicking stopped Ratchet retorted.  
"Sorry pal, just tell me again why we moved to Meridian City?"

Clank turned to Ratchet with a look of disdain, but at the same time he couldn't help but feel sorry for the Lombax.  
"You know exactly why we had to leave. The Quake left Veldin practically in pieces."  
Although Clank couldn't see Ratchet's face he felt his sorrow.  
"It may be quite a while before they re-build and it's safer to stay here. You do understand, don't you?"

There was a silence between the two friends. Clank stared at his buddy on the other side of the almost-empty room. Ratchet's stare was planted down onto his To-do list. It read:

TO-DO  
_Eat Breakfast  
Unpack  
Rearrange tools  
Eat Lunch  
Stare at ceiling  
Rearrange tools again  
Gaze at Holovision dumbfoundedly_

The silence went on until Ratchet's voice broke through it.  
"But this place, it just doesn't feel like home. I miss Veldin."

Clank detected Ratchet's sadness in his voice, but before he could reply a text message tone interrupted them. Suddenly Ratchet elevated his gaze to the other side of the desk; he stretched his arm across and picked up his cell phone. The message read:

_Unknown Number  
_**hay ther hEro boy herd u were  
in the nayborhood got NE time  
to $hare a creeM pie with a old  
frend,? : D omgrofl**

"Okay, who gave Qwark my number?"

Ratchet stared blankly at Captain Qwark as he rummaged around in Ratchet's holofilm collection. Clank was out the back busily unpacking boxes full of Ratchet's bits and bobs as a favour to him; therefore Ratchet was left alone to deal with Qwark.

"So, how is being President of Polaris going?" Ratchet attempted to start a conversation.

"Oh! You have Lance and Janice season 3! I LOVE these ep -," Qwark cleared his throat," I mean...well someone has to do the job, so why not me? Huh?"

Yeah, or somebody else, Ratchet thought resentfully.  
"Besides, I'm getting used to the constant adoration over my epic heroism." No modesty was heard in Qwark's voice as he shuffled towards Ratchet's Holovision clenching a movie disc.

Ratchet felt as if he shouldn't have even bothered asking. He watched as Qwark landed his bodyweight upon Ratchet's frail sofa and flicked through the boring beginning movie trailers on the remote as if he was a natural at it. Ratchet noticed how fast Qwark was making himself at home and decided to act swiftly.

Ratchet ambled up beside the sofa that Qwark was implanted in.  
"Qwark, may I ask what are you doing in Meridian City? Aren't there important Presidential matters to attend to elsewhere instead of watching my holofilms and eating my food?"

Qwark took his eyes off the Holovision screen for a split second, "The galaxy is financially stable, the Fongoid tree-lopping strike has been stopped and it's not Wear-Your-Stunderwear-To-Work-Day till ages. I'm here for the Full Moon Festival next week so I am officially on my own vacation."

Ratchet couldn't think of a better word to describe Qwark other than Thick. Or maybe Dim-witted. Definitely Thick though. Although Ratchet knew how idiotic Qwark could be he hoped the role of President would be a wake-up call to him. Apparently it wasn't. Ratchet then asked Qwark about a pressing matter that he wanted to ask him for a quite some time now.

"Well...then what about Nefarious?"

"About who-hah-what?"

"Nefarious," Ratchet said bluntly as he moved his body in the way of Qwark's view of the Holovision, "Stole Clank from me. The Great Clock. Hates Squishies. Any of this ringing a bell? You told me your administration can handle him ages ago. Have they found him or Lawrence yet? And shouldn't that be a larger dilemma than tree-hugging Fongoids?"

Qwark finally forced his eyes away from the Holovision and focused his attention on Ratchet's irritated expression.

"Ah yes, the debut of my cleverly thought-up improvisation Nurse Shannon. I am seriously considering Broadway."  
Ratchet lowered his brow at Qwark.  
"But in all seriousness," Qwark continued with one of his classic grins, "our search for Nefarious hasn't been as successful as I pledged in my election speech. But in all due respect Ratchet, you really should stop worrying about pitiful things like misplaced evil masterminds and get back to rebuilding your life. You know you have the best view of my office citadel out of that window."

Ratchet almost couldn't believe Qwark's negligence.

That night Ratchet had trouble getting to sleep. Ratchet's only home he ever had was Veldin and although him and Clank had only been in Meridian city for 3 days, he just couldn't get used to his new surroundings. He wished everything was back to the way it was. He dreaded it would be years before he could return to Veldin.

I shouldn't worry about the trials of tomorrow, Ratchet thought as he rolled over.

Because even heroes have the right to dream.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ V~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


	2. Last Resort

_Unknown to Ratchet, Clank and Qwark, an evil they thought destroyed was awakening once more…_

Dr Nefarious.

That weirdo that entered Galaxy Idol. Whatever happened to him? He got no call-backs that's for sure. Apparently Galactic President Qwark and him are mortal enemies. I'm no eavesdropper, but I heard Qwark really smashed the crap out of Nefarious. They say that he transmogrificated into a robot. The logic is strong in this one. After that he went mad and tried to Biobliterate everyone into robots. Once again, that logic smells good. His attempts failed when our two heroes Ratchet and Clank defeated the mad scientist, leaving him and his butler stranded on an asteroid. There's also some sort of rumour that the asteroid landed on a peaceful planet known as Zanifar. The Fongoids, the species that inhabited the lands, taught the doctor about life in a hippie-spiritual sort of way. In the end, Nefarious took advantage of the nature loving Fongoids, forcing them all into oblivious servitude. Guess your personality disintegrates after spending over a year on an asteroid.

Nefarious used the Zoni, the alien species that the Fongoids revered, to capture Clank; they then led him to the Great Clock in the exact centre of the universe – give or take 50 feet. There he discovered the full potential of the clock and planned to rewind time; which would have been catastrophic if Ratchet hadn't come along. And believe me that turned into a huge shiitake mess. Apparently, Lawrence, his butler, teleported the beat-up doctor just before his ship crashed into his headquarters and kasploded, uh, exploded. Well, that's what the 6 o'clock News said...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RATCHET & CLANK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**Chapter 2: Last Resort**

The dark room stood still and lifeless; quite like a hat stand. Tools, machine parts and devices laid scattered across desktops and benches. A mysterious pink liquid swam through the overhead pipes that illuminated the room something astonishing. Other than the faint drip of the pipeline, the wind whistled through the air vent in a peculiar fashion.

Distant footsteps suddenly interrupted the peace and tranquillity. With every step closer, the rattle of tools on the desktops grew louder. A bright yellow shine lit up the hallway as the ambling figure got closer and closer. Finally the figure appeared in the door frame.

A robot, its metal glimmering from the light of the electric lantern it was holding. With its eyes glowing light blue, it gazed into the dark room with a cynical temperament. No, this is not Megatron. Revenge of the _fallen_ is now, come on. Who I am talking about is Lawrence, Dr Nefarious' butler. Who knows why someone would ever put up with Nefarious' nonsense, maybe it's the mockery he puts upon Nefarious behind his back, or the fact he gets to strike Nefarious over the head whenever he freezes up.

Lawrence proceeded into the room with his face bright with luminance. He made his way over to a small machine attached to the wall. With a flick of a switch, the room suddenly ignited with bright lights each emitting from a different source. Objects were beginning to come into focus as each light penetrated the darkness. There were blueprints, blinking buttons, janitor supplies and lots of other things too. The lights then revealed a long table on the far side of the room. It was surrounded by most of the machines and the majority of the tools; indistinctly messy. But it was what was lying on the table that was Lawrence's purpose for entering this room. With a wrench clenched in his right hand he made his way over to the table.

On the tabletop laid Dr Nefarious; his lifeless body dented and damaged. It seemed that Lawrence had been working to repair Nefarious over the months as Lawrence looked at Nefarious as if he were a common pot hole. Unshaken by what he saw, Lawrence connected a pink wire that was hanging overhead to various parts of Nefarious' dusty body. His head, hands, chest and legs. Nefarious' body was now alight with glowing pink.

With an unconvinced sigh Lawrence reached above him and flicked a few overhead switches connected to a large machine. The room was suddenly filled with _whirring_sounds as the machine revved its capacitors and warmed up its circuitry.

If this doesn't work I should consider catering, the sarcastic Lawrence thought to himself, and with that he reached for a dial beside him. He turned it slowly as the numbers on the screen ascended and stopped at 4. The _whirring_ turned into a loud monotonous _roaring_ that came and went in a steady and continuous beat. Nefarious' circuitry was coursing pink in the rhythm of the machine.

Although nothing else happened. Lawrence frowned or at least attempted to seeing as he had no eyebrows. Something must have gone wrong with his calculations. Lawrence held Nefarious' right arm and squinted. Nefarious' index finger twitched oh so slightly. Lawrence's eyes widened.

He retreated back to his original position and glanced at the screen connected to the machine. "Anything past Level 4 could be potentially dangerous!" was written in Lawrence's hand writing on one of the many sticky notes stuck on and around the machine. Disregarding this, Lawrence reached for the dial and deliberately turned it slowly clockwise.

The machine revved louder with every level the dial reached, but Nefarious' movements stayed the same. Lawrence theorised that if he gave Nefarious' system a quick boot it would revive him. He decided it was now or never. He rapidly turned the dial to Level 10...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ V~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


	3. A Rude Awakening

_A rare and deadly chemical was incorporated in the midst of a returning evil…_

Zenaritanium

What mysterious wonders lie deep inside this precious chemical sediment? They say it's toxic, or was it deadly? Or was it lethal? One of the three. Supposedly it holds the power to do many things. Some of those things include controlling an army of 10,000 robots, destroying skyscrapers or hanging out washing, really it's whatever tickles your fancy. They say Zenaritanium was created on a foreign planet when a deposit of Rareitanium was dumped on it. The Rareitanium reacted to the chemicals existing in the planet's core, therefore creating a new source of power. Scientists named it Zenaritanium and planned to use it as fuel for industrial machines. However, upon testing it, the Zenaritanium granted never before seen powers to the machine; dangerous powers that destroyed 8 research buildings and testing facilities. The machine had to be shut off from the inside and from then on Zenaritanium was declared 'illegal' in all galaxies. The planet, unofficially named Planet X, was ordered to be destroyed by President Artemis Zogg a year before Qwark replaced him. Criminals were quick to steal pieces of Zenaritanium before Planet X was detonated. Pieces of this toxic substance are still rumoured to be sold on the black market, and sometimes eBay if the sellers are feeling lucky.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RATCHET & CLANK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**Chapter 3: A Rude Awakening**

Dr Nefarious' eyes opened as the sudden jolt of light ran through him. He instantaneously sat up. Seeing this, Lawrence immediately spun the dial back down to Level 0 before appearing beside Nefarious.

Without hesitation Lawrence acquired, "Sir, how do you feel?"  
Dr Nefarious faltered a bit before replying, "Lawrence, I had the worst dream!"

Lawrence wondered if he should proceed, seeing he felt he knew what his master was going to say. "Oh, what was it sir?"He asked anyway with a hint of fake concern in his voice.

Nefarious gave Lawrence zero eye contact as he stared into space as if recollecting his dream, "It was horrible! The asteroid landed on this Zanifar planet. The squishy creatures took me in and taught me about these Zoni things. I then brainwashed them to worship me and they led me to this huge clock that controlled the Universe's time! There, I realised that Clank was the key to rewinding time because..."Nefarious spoke each line as if it made sense.

"Oh, well I don't see what's so horrible about that?" Lawrence built up the conversation. He thought that this was the best way to tell Nefarious that his dream was actually reality.

Dr Nefarious clenched either side of the table he was still sitting on and then responded.  
"Then Ratchet and...Qwark...came and ruined EVERYTHING!" The word "Qwark" was greatly emphasized, "They penetrated my impenetrable lair and destroyed my indestructible plans. I was _this_ close to annihilating that menacing Ratchet! It all ended when I lost control of my body and...blanked out!"

Lawrence watched Nefarious cringe over the thought of defeat and decided it was his turn to talk.  
"What an eventful dream, sir. Real sounding perhaps. Maybe next time you could try an _impregnable_ lair, I hear they are much sturdier. By the way, I should probably state that your right arm may need a spot of fine tuning; if you wouldn't mind handing me that spanner, sir."

It was only when Dr Nefarious attempted to move his arm that he noticed his condition. Deep scores, cracks, dents, and even dust and dirt covered his body. Nefarious looked down at his arms, abdomen and legs and started to panic.

"Oh and now your jaw looks like it's going to unhinge itself, better fix that aswell..."  
"Lawrence! What happened to me?" Nefarious' attention was now on Lawrence, he struggled to speak, "and where am I?"

Lawrence thought for a second about how he would proceed, but he didn't really think that hard.

"I think now would be the best of times to point out that your dream was more of a reality than a fantasy, sir."

Dr Nefarious' eyes widened.

"Judging by the state of your body I thought you would have been intelligent enough to conjure up a theory that your dream was rather more fact than fiction."

Dr Nefarious' lowered his brow.

"Seeing that you were knocked cold by Ratchet I took the liberty of teleporting you off the air craft before it plummeted into your lair."

Dr Nefarious clenched his fists.

"It was the biggest explosion I've seen since that toaster incident."

Dr Nefarious' gears started to grind.

"I tried my best to repair you to your original state sir, but nobody's perfect."

Dr Nefarious stood up.

Nefarious' body was shaking with rage. His rib pipes glowing pink, the mysterious substance that Lawrence fed through a wire into him earlier pumped through his circuitry. It was a rage fuelled by frustration, finely sprinkled with failure and topped off with the loathing of a certain Lombax.

Suddenly a great wail erupted in the room. Nefarious yelled. Nefarious shouted. He screamed with all his might. What's another word for loud noises? I dunno, but Nefarious made a noise similar to a Kerchu giving birth. Nefarious' voice probably never had a chance to break before he traded skin for metal. Either way his shrieks echoed the vicinity and possibly broke a couple of windows.

When Dr Nefarious' screams finally stopped he sat back down on the table and held his head in angst.

Lawrence uncovered his ear holes (as if he had any) and continued.  
"As for your second question we are situated in an abandoned warehouse on a deserted moon just south of the Verdigris Sector! I theorised that this place would be a superb haven in case we had to suddenly disappear since nobody comes here anymore. You've been out cold for about 8 months and apart from the occasional gig, I've been mending you in my spare time."

Dr Nefarious only heard occasional parts of Lawrence's speech for he was now staring at his hands. His fingers glowed with a slight pink aura and his palm's felt different as if something had changed inside him. Lawrence observed Nefarious' fixation.

"You are now running on Zenaritanium."

Nefarious now looked at Lawrence as he spoke, "Supposedly the most powerful substance in the Universe. Really it was the only chemical I could find that suited your system requirements. "Technically legal" the black marketer told me. Never actually saw the chap's face, only his eyes."

Nefarious smiled at Lawrence. At first it was a cheerful smile, then it sort of looked menacing. I really don't know what the smile looked like considering robot's faces can sometimes portray less emotion than a Furby. That's what body language is for.

Anyway Nefarious' face confused Lawrence to the point where he had to ask, "You're not telling me you're already planning revenge are you sir? I was sort of looking forward to a bit of R and R."

Dr Nefarious leapt up onto his feet and began to pace the room, tripping every now and again from injuries to his legs.

"With this new power within me, nobody, not even Qwark, will expect what I have planned for the Universe. I've figured out what I do wrong. It's not about building cheap robot armies, it's about MAKING robot armies."

"I don't follow you sir."

"All in good time Lawrence, but for now, I know exactly whom and what I need to initialise my glorious new plan. First I'll need this place to look more 'lair-ish'."

"I would have at least appreciated a thank you for repairing you sir."  
"There's no time for useless conversation. This time Lawrence, I won't fail."  
"I think I just had Déjà Vu," Lawrence remarked to himself as they exited the room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ V~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


	4. Pursuit of Happiness

**Chapter 4 is now fully completed (8 YAY!~ Thanks for everyone enjoying my stories :D Its giving me motivation to write more and continue with this story xD Thankyou WhimsicalMayhem! 8D WOO! I loved writing the second half of his xD**

Clank.

I wonder how it feels to be named after a noise your body made. "CLANK!" I'm grateful my mother didn't have the same idea, or my name would be Fart! Actually Clank's real name is XJ0461 and was given artificial intelligence when he was created by Orvus - keeper of the Great Clock. Throughout their adventures, Clank usually resides on the back of Ratchet - call it complimentary because it's better than forking over taxi fees. He almost looks like a lunchbox being hauled around by Ratchet all day every day, but Clank doesn't mind.

Truly how much cheerfulness can be contained inside such a little robot? Who said robots don't have emotions? His laugh is enough to melt even a solicitor's soul. His eyes lime-er than a lime. However being little, compared to most other robots, must be hard, but when one has compassion, intellect and a Lombax to ride on anything is possible. There is a deep connection within Ratchet and Clank's friendship. Like peanut butter and jelly. Nutella and marmalade. Even the game title would sound bland without Clank. So next time your toaster pops out a burnt piece of bread don't punch it, because it may have feelings of its own...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RATCHET & CLANK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**Chapter 4: Pursuit of Happiness**

The door slammed. Ratchet turned to see Clank waving beside the front door. Ratchet waved in reply from the couch. Clank ran towards Ratchet in his little robot trot and observed the Holovision.

"What are you watching?"

"Nothing - they're just showing old Vox re-runs."

"But Ratchet, you never watch Vox."

"It's Qwark, he's hanging around too much; he's rubbing off on me."

"It's been just over a day since Qwark arrived. I don't think he would have influenced your habits to change so quickly."

Indeed it had only been a day since Qwark decided to invite himself to Ratchet and Clank's new home in Meridian City. Clank could see that Qwark's loitering wasn't helping Ratchet's emotional dilemma about having to move away from Veldin. Ratchet still showed no signs of happiness and this troubled Clank. In fact Clank had spent the day thinking up ways to persuade Ratchet to participate in some cultural events in Meridian City that Clank classified as "fun". He hoped this would improve Ratchet's outlook on their new home and in progression make Ratchet happy once more.

Clank hopped upon the couch and shuffled towards Ratchet. He could see that Ratchet was miserable by the way he gazed at the Holovision; and bored – very bored. Clank decided to intrude.

"Since I see you are not engaged in any real business I would like to suggest a few activities that I believe may lift your spirits."

Ratchet stopped channel searching and turned towards his friend. Clank saw this and became filled with hope.

"The Full Moon Festival is coming up very soon and I thought this would be a great event for us to attend as I heard Grummelnet will have new products on display. Also the robot down the hall told me that the street next to ours is perfect for hoverboarding. What's more, I have coupons for Groovy Lube's 5th Anniversary! And I was thinking that maybe after that we could go and learn more about the city's history at the new museum?" Clank looked up at Ratchet, his green eyes shining.

Ratchet gave Clank one of his smug smiles. Clank replied with a smile of similar satisfaction.

Over the next 3 months Clank showed Ratchet the great things Meridian City had to offer and adjusted him to city life. Clank did everything for Ratchet – he really wanted to pull Ratchet out of his depressive slump. Clank decided it was time Ratchet appreciated this place as a blessing.

All what Ratchet really needed was to spend some well-deserved time with his best friend, and that's exactly what they did. Every day would be a new adventure, but not the usual adventure. Instead it was relaxing and Ratchet felt great. Clank enjoyed every moment with Ratchet showing him around and participating in the city's events and celebrations.

It was at the commemoration of the moon warriors that Clank finally built up the courage to get something off his chest. This commemoration was held every year at the Full Moon festival to remember the warriors in the Great Luna war that effected Polaris so long ago. The community of Meridian City would each hold a blue balloon and let go of them all at once to honour those who lost their lives fighting for freedom.

Ratchet and Clank looked at each other with a smile as they both let go of their balloons. The blue light shimmered inside the balloon as it joined its counterparts in the night sky. The blanket of black was now overwhelmed by millions of shining azure gems. The city cheered as the balloons danced and twirled in the wind.

The atmosphere was fantastic; the sky full of balloons. Laughter and applause filled Ratchet's ears. He felt a feeling that he hadn't felt for so long: gladness.

Though it was through the silence that lay in his friend next to him that made him ask, "What's on your mind pal?"

Clank was staring at the colours in the night sky. He felt his mind swimming with thoughts; thought of the past. Spending the last few months with Ratchet had made Clank realise what an amazing friend he is, and what he must have gone through when Clank disappeared. Clank felt rather troubled so he decided to get some things off his chest.

"Ratchet, I am truly sorry for what I put you through," Clank blurted out suddenly.  
"Huh? What do you mean pal? What's this about?" Ratchet leant down next to his friend.

"My disappearance with the Zoni. I was gone for so long and it was so sudden. Ratchet, you must have been so distressed trying to locate me for all those months. If I had known a way to contact you, I definitely would have. I do apologise Ratchet, I really do."

Ratchet was alarmed by the sudden distraught, "Whoa Clank, it's alright. Of course I was upset, but I had faith that I would find you; and besides, Nefarious had you unconscious so it was impossible for you to ever contact me. It wasn't your fault Clank, so please don't beat yourself up about it, okay?"

Hearing this calmed Clank; though he still couldn't help but feel slightly uneasy looking at his reflection in his friend's eyes. Clank was a robot. Ratchet was an organic. They were so different, yet one would search countless planets and cross vast galaxies to find the other. Clank cherished Ratchet, though he had one last thing he wanted to say.

"If I ever, for some reason, lost my way and betrayed you, would you try your best to convince me otherwise and become friends with me once more?"

Ratchet looked at Clank with concern in his eyes, "Of course I would. Why did that come to mind?"

"Because I know a true friend would do whatever it takes to keep a friend safe, no matter the obstacles or consequences. I therefore would like to thank you once more for being my friend, Ratchet."

Ratchet beamed at Clank.

"Back at ya, pal."

Meanwhile, in a couple of star clusters away…

"It's for you sir."  
"Who is it? If it's mum tell her I've started a new life breeding puppies!"

Dr Nefarious was in the middle of creating something _big and important_ when Lawrence entered the room and inanely interrupted.

"Someone from the A.S.S. apparently," Lawrence spoke as if all feeling and emotion had been drained from his soul, "he mentioned something about a callback? However, I should mention his voice sounded painfully famil-"

"Give me that!" Nefarious interrupted as he wrenched the phone out of his butler's hand.

"Hello. This is the Actors Society of Solana. Is this Dr Nefarious?" The voice that emitted from the speaker was a manly sounding woman. No, that was not a typo.

Nefarious felt an onset of shock. The actors union must have approved one of the scripts he had written. Nefarious felt inner glee; this feeling distracted him from finding the voice familiar in any way.

"Speaking," Nefarious tried to sound professional, "I apologise as I had my doubts when I heard the abbreviation."

Ratchet came in the door to find Qwark sprawled out on the couch talking on Ratchet's cell phone.

"Qwark! What are you doing?" Ratchet dropped his belongings and briskly walked up to the couch Qwark positioned himself upon, "I don't just buy credit for you to waste on brainless conversation!"

Qwark floundered violently on the couch at Ratchet's entrance, but kept quiet all the same. He then spoke into the phone with a toothy grin.

"I have called on behalf of our chairmen, Al Kickurass," Qwark was the definition of utter stupor, "We have examined your acting reel and feel that you deserve your talent to shine in our upcoming stage performance…"

Nefarious squealed on the inside.

"…as a rock."

Nefarious's inside screaming stopped abruptly.

"We feel that your acting is so bland, boring and flavourless that a rock would be the ideal role for you. All you have to do is lay on the floor lifelessly for 4 hours. Think you could handle that?" Qwark let out a small giggle that was very Qwark-like and wished he hadn't.

Nefarious heard the giggle. He suddenly felt his body twitch as vicious realisations and rage built up in his circuitry. He clenched the phone creating scratches with his claws. Oh the hatred he felt for this moronic mortal.

"QWARRRK!" Nefarious shrieked ultimately as Qwark pulled his ear away from the cell phone.

Angry screams and curse words followed by an accustomed soup opera emitted out of the cell phone until Qwark hung up. Then there was silence.

"…who was that?" Ratchet asked with great concern.

"Oh, just an old high school friend of mine. Being president I have access to every organic or artificial being's number known to this galaxy," Qwark's face radiated with ecstasy, "Oh, and I'd change my number if I were you…"

Ratchet couldn't help but stare at Qwark with a bewildered look on his face.


	5. The Rise of Cake

**Suddenly, CONFLICT! Oh look, an update of this story 0: NO YOU ARE NOT DREAMING XD DO NOT FALL BACK TO SLEEP! :DDD I did iiiit, I wrote chapter 5! OH, that's right, I told a couple of people that Chapter 5 was going to be depressing U: But actually, I decided that I'd make Chap 6 the sad one 8'C Because adding it to this chapter would make it HUUUUUGE! XD Not looking forward to writing Chap 6, but still, have to write it c: ((okay, its not THAT depressing)) just a leetl sad 8'c Every story needs some heartstring pullin'! But HOMG! This was such an intense chapter to wriiiite; I had to make Nefarious' plan as clear and menacing as possible! And Lawrence's reactions, ffaaaah, all had to build up to that last paragraph :L BAHA. **

Vengeance.

Vengeance is a noun that comes from the verb _Avenge_. It's pretty much _Revenge_ but a tad bittersweet; the urge to inflict harm on a person whom had fractured one's past. A word mostly affiliated with an antagonist of sorts. It's generally the desire for revenge - violent revenge that is truly not even a bit necessary. In the end it all leads to trouble; trouble in its most treacherous form.

There really is no need, but just try telling a villain that!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RATCHET & CLANK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**Chapter 5: The Rise of Cake **

Almost four months had past and Ratchet and Clank had become fully accustomed to their new home in Meridian City. Ratchet used any spare time he had to traverse back to Veldin to help with the damage, with Clank's assistance of course. They spent the majority of their time relaxing and doing what they enjoyed. Ratchet bought new parts for Aphelion and Clank installed the Discovery Channel. Apart from the standard visit from Qwark, everything was peaceful and how it should be. Too bad it couldn't remain that way, because unaware to our heroes, in the far reaches of the universe an unknown force was gathering its strength…

Dr Nefarious held out a small orange and grey ball the same size as his palm.

"I smell nostalgia," Lawrence spoke with wit.

The relevance of Lawrence's wording was perfect. What Nefarious' held was truly a blast from the past; an almost forgotten memory if that. It was obvious to Lawrence that Nefarious was planning to bring these past memories to the present, making them reality again. Though it puzzled Lawrence as to why Nefarious was recycling old plans that didn't work in the past. Why would they work now?

"The Biobliterator sir?" Lawrence queried looking up at Nefarious.  
"Correction," Nefarious shrilled, his words bouncing off the walls, "the Biobliterator 2.0."

Nefarious sneered uncontrollably. Lawrence looked almost peeved from being corrected so ridiculously.

"The original Biobliterators I invented and patented was…" Nefarious paused as if to think, "not the most successful. And I am not afraid to admit that, nor am I upset anymore."

"Brilliant, sir. Accepting the past is the first step to success," Lawrence announced half-heartedly, "however, if I may sir, how will the Biobliterator 2.0 be any less of a failure than the first?"

Lawrence watched as Nefarious flinched at the word 'failure'. The very word pierced his inner mechanisms and cut at him like a knife, though this feeling made him even more determined to make his plan a success. Nefarious lunged forward and restricted any personal space that once belonged to Lawrence.

"Listen closely Lawrence, I will equip the Biobliterator 2.0 with something I like to call the Control Alpha Key Engine," Nefarious clenched the Biobliterator prototype and started ambling around Lawrence.

"C.A.K.E., sir?" Lawrence remarked, but was however ignored by Nefarious through his ramblings.

"With this newly installed engine, the Biobliterator 2.0 will have the ability to take control of every living machine within a 300 mile radius and create an army bigger and stronger than ever before! Robots will _rise up_ against squishies with _me_ as their leader, and I will conquer this retched galaxy to claim the equality _we_ _deserve_. Robots are powerful, intellectual beings and should _not_ live by the impression that squishies are higher in society than them. No more will we suffer under this squishy oppression - only robots will inhabit the universe, just the way it's supposed to be." Nefarious stopped his drawling for a second then continued. "However, I'd need a surrogate robot to act as a template for the engine. A _mindful_ robot; one with an intellect big enough to contain the data I'd feed through it. One who knows knowledge of life with squishies, and one whose memory can be tampered."

Nefarious stopped pacing and turned looking straight into Lawrence's vacant eyes, "And when I find this robot I will extract its memory core and replace it with one I have premade. The memory core I created contains false memories; memories of me being the creator of the before said robot. Thinking I am its creator it will tend to my every need; my every need being vengeance of course. It will be the perfect template for my machine. Success will be in my reach Lawrence, I guarantee it. Victory…will be mine."

"Exceptional monologue, sir, probably your best yet. Mind control; a very steadfast approach. You are truly horrifying sir," Lawrence faked.

His voice flat and monotone, Lawrence hid the fact that he was slightly shaken by the Doctor's prodigy of a plan. The butler had known his employer for many years now, and never a plan as great as this had occupied his robotic mind. Lawrence did not heighten his expectations however, as he knew Nefarious had a reputation for failure. He was recycling old plans and that, in Lawrence's opinion, was destined to attract disaster. Although he couldn't help but wonder if indeed this new plan had a chance to land Nefarious in success.

The taller robot beamed, "Thank you, Lawrence. I sometimes cannot believe the vast intellect I have."

"And your modesty is always up to scratch, sir," Lawrence commented, "but, if you don't mind me asking, who will this very lucky robot be? Surely not me sir, since I _already_ tend to your every need."

Nefarious jumped at the opportunity to engage part one of his plan. He ambled up beside his main processor; a giant computer with one large screen.

"I'm glad you asked, Lawrence," he grinned profoundly, "because as a matter of fact, he's on his way right now."

And with that Nefarious pressed a variety of buttons on the control mainframe. The screen flashed and the room became alit with a vibrant green.

The computer's womanly yet robotic voice echoed the corridors, "Distress signal sent to signature code 3371-Alpha."

Nefarious turned to meet Lawrence's gaze of confusion.

"Sir, may I ask as to why you just sent a distress signal to 3371-Alpha?" Lawrence paused.

"3371-Alpha being _Aphelion_." He paused again.

"_Ratchet's_ ship," Another pause, "which obviously will reveal our location to them and we are not in any sort of distress whatsoever…"

There was another slight pause before Nefarious' bellow of laughter interrupted as he fell into hysteria. Maintaining balance by holding onto the control panel, Nefarious held his head as his cackling reverberated off the walls and rang inside Lawrence's sound detectors.

"I don't see what you find so funny about this," Lawrence spoke irritably before noticing he didn't say "sir".

Nefarious' calmed his fit of mania and strolled up to Lawrence, popping his personal bubble once more.

"If it wasn't for a certain _lombax_ and his accomplice, my plans would have no doubt been much more of a success than they were a disaster. Together, the duo is an unstoppable pain in the neck that only exists to rain down destruction on everything I do," Nefarious sighed as if to keep himself calm, "but take one away from the other, and everything slowly falls out of place."

Suddenly, Lawrence understood Nefarious' implications; he was mixing not one, but two old plans together to create something much more sinister. The revival of the Biobliterator and the kidnapping of Clank, mixed with C.A.K.E.; it was most definitely a recipe well prepared. Lawrence almost couldn't comprehend the sense Nefarious was making.

The Doctor continued his monologue, "Remember the Great Clock? Ratchet was persistent to find his so-called friend when he realised he was safe. What if, say, something bad happened to Clank? What if Clank wasn't Clank anymore? Ratchet is weak without Clank. Knowing Clank works for me and has no recollection of Ratchet whatsoever would destroy him. His spirit crushed and his motives crumpled, there would be no possible way he could muster up the courage to face me."

It was now clear to Lawrence that Nefarious was going to use Clank as his template and remove any memory he had of Ratchet. Lawrence literally could not believe the deceitful nature of this plan.

"Take away his best friend, and what do you get? A threat to me no more."

Lawrence felt a disturbance within him, because there was something about Nefarious that didn't seem right. Sure, this was how he usually spoke and acted; exaggerating words and operating precariously, but Lawrence knew something had changed. Was all this _too cruel_ for Nefarious? He always acted deviously, but only ever seemed to go so far. Was it his mindset? Or was it the fact that Nefarious' plans were actually making sense for a change? Or maybe, just maybe, was it that some sinister energy was working inside of him. Lawrence could sense an overwhelming amount of power radiating from the Doctor. Something was definitely _wrong_. Something was _different._

"Sir, are you feeling alright?" Were the unexpected words that escaped Lawrence's mouth.

Nefarious sent a confused frown that burnt right through Lawrence making him feel uneasy.

"Of course I'm okay," was the confused reply as Nefarious slowly walked up to Lawrence and lent over so they were both eye height, "I'm fine. I'm _fine._"

The last _fine_ did not convince Lawrence; in fact it concerned him even more.

"I'm working at full capacity now Lawrence, which evidently makes me feel better than ever," Nefarious stated as he stood up and stretched his arms like that of an organic, "my wellbeing will aid greatly in the success of my master plan. With Ratchet out of the way and Clank at my side, I will dispose of Qwark and extinguish the squishy population, starting with Meridian City. Soon, all squishy life will have been biobliterated and the universe will reap the power of robots!"

"And with this," Nefarious' hand was instantaneously alight with an electrical pink matter. It was a manipulative substance that danced on his palm and changed with every finger movement. It was Zenaritanium! Everything was apparent to Lawrence now. Nefarious had gained control over the noxious chemical. It was influencing Nefarious and changing him from the inside out. As the colour glistened off Nefarious' eyes and into his, Lawrence couldn't help but feel intimidated. He felt a sudden surge of fear and anxiety; an onset of regret and shame. Had he known it would govern the Doctor's thoughts and actions Lawrence would not have injected the lethal energy. He was now slowly realising the threat it was causing to both the universe and his master's own self. What was to become of this new Dr Nefarious?

If only Lawrence knew…

"Who could possibly stop me?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ V~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**Ah, Nefarious, you sound like a real asshole 8'D  
Sorry, just had to say that (:  
But remember,  
power-only-leads-to-calamity. **

***WOW. This whole story is a factual mindblown. I have hidden so many key details that predict future chapters! Ooooooh. Im cool with this! :D Are you?**


	6. Stalemate

Friendship

A friend is someone who supports, encourages and loves the other. A life treasure. Friendship is the emotional bond that ties two friends together; it is a treasured connection between the two individuals.

Losing a friend. Well…

The feeling of loss turns into courage - the courage to crush any obstacle to revive the friendship in which they once had.

"A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity." Proverbs 17:17

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RATCHET & CLANK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**Chapter 6: Stalemate **

"Did you see that?"

A meteor that looked as if it was once apart of the Kreeli comet flew by the duo's ship.

"Isn't it amazing, Clank?"

"It truly is, Ratchet."

On their way back from a planetary defence meeting in the Breegus system, Ratchet and Clank found their route in the midst of a meteor shower. The space rocks were so miniscule they formed a sheet of colour covering the space before them, and created a sound much like soft rain on the roof of Aphelion.

Clank admired the celestial event before him and took the time to appreciate the beauty of the Phylax sector. Ratchet just crossed his arms and enjoyed this time he spent with Clank; he was content observing such a spectacular sky-show with his best friend.

As the shower cleared, the duo could see the Polaris sun in the far distance. Ratchet activated Aphelion's auto setting and she set a course for Polaris. He then turned to Clank with a yawn.

"That meeting was almost as boring as the time Qwark made us watch paint dry," he held his forehead and smiled dryly.

Clank let loose the usual trademark giggle, "He wanted us to guard the statue of him so no imperfections were to mutilate his 'glorious visage'."

"I remember all too well Clank," Ratchet snickered, "speaking of Qwark's imperfections, when's the next election?"

Before Clank could respond Aphelion announced an incoming signal.

"Incoming distress signal from signature code 2247-06-Echo," Aphelion spoke in her usual tone.

Ratchet raised his eyebrows as Clank immediately spoke up, "Somebody is in trouble."

"But that's not a ship code," Ratchet hastily inputted the source number and observed Aphelion's monitor, "It's from a planet."

"Then the planet must need our assistance!" Clank spoke at Ratchet with alarm.

"But if a whole planet is in danger don't they usually contact the Galactic Defence Force?" Ratchet squinted at the monitor as Aphelion traced the signal.

"Maybe they recognised Aphelion's signature code on the main line," Clank pondered, "or maybe we are closer to their location than the Defence Force."

Ratchet became silent as he gazed into the monitor's display. Aphelion had calculated the location of the planet in distress. It was a moon just south of the Verdigris Sector; a lone moon that had lost its orbit. What would people be doing on an isolated moon? Were they mining it? Was it a mining accident? Ratchet felt more concerned than suspicious.

"Maybe. Well whatever the reason we should go help them," Ratchet said while clicking in his seat harness, "Aphelion, upload coordinates for the Verdigris Sector."

"Affirmative," was the feminine reply and the ship changed its course.

Unbeknownst to the duo, a ship situated on the same route was waiting for them.

A slow beep emitted from Aphelion's dashboard indicating an approaching ship. Unfortunately, it was too late.

"Ratchet, a ship is nearby," Clank announced the obvious while pointing to the radar.

Ratchet barked at his own ship, "Aphelion, is it friendly?"

Aphelion's reply made Ratchet's fur stand on end, "The ship's signature code is unknown or not registered."

A different beep sounded.

"WARNING! Unidentified anomaly approaching!"

The duo stiffened. Ratchet immediately grabbed hold of the steering.

"Switching to evasive manoeuvres. Aphelion! Engage Qantm Reflector!"

Aphelion's reply was indistinct and impossible to understand.

An alarmed lombax tried again, "Aphelion! Did you hear me?"

The reply was now nothing but static.

"Why isn't she responding?"

"I am detecting an unknown radiation. I expect it is what is disrupting Aphelion's commands," Clank turned away from Ratchet and looked out the right side window, "What ever is coming for us must be transfusing it."

Grunts and moans came from Ratchet as he was determined to get a response from Aphelion. Neither command nor button he pushed worked.

"Clank! Try to override Aphelion's auto mode!" He called out after abandoning his own idea.

Though Clank didn't respond. His eyes were fixated on the giant, bright light travelling behind them. Whatever it was, it was getting closer. Clank blinked in transfixion as Ratchet's frustration sounded in the background. And _closer._ The before beeping sound amplified as the object finally came into view on the radar. Ratchet now watched the screen in horror as the large red dot portrayed the unidentified blast of matter right behind them.

Without pausing to think, Ratchet grabbed for Clank and held him tight against his chest. Closing their eyes, the duo held each other bracing for impact. The repetitive fast-paced beeping from the radar was the last thing they heard before the calamity struck.

The unknown matter penetrated the right side of Aphelion from the rear. The blast was so great it split a large hole in Aphelion's shell. Ratchet winced as he felt the right side of his body take the impact of the great force. The explosive sound hit the lombax's right eardrum leaving an excruciating tinnitus. It was then when Ratchet felt Clank leave his arms.

"CLANK! Hold on!"

Ratchet grasped Clank's hand as tight as he could as the force of the outside space began sucking out his friend. Where Clank once sat was now the large, gaping hole. Ratchet sat in the pilot seat bound by the harness to Aphelion's protective shell; his arm aching as he pulled against the force.

"I'm not letting you go," Ratchet forced his voice through his oxygen helmet, "I'm not losing you. Not again!"

Though his vision blurred, Ratchet watched as Clank's mouth moved in attempt to reply. The green of Clank's eyes merged with Aphelion's flashing warning lights creating_ bokeh _in Ratchet's vision. Sounds of a deteriorating ship were the only sounds that filled his ears as his view of Clank became no more.

He was gone.

Like a star swallowed by a black hole, Clank was gone and so was half of the ship. If Ratchet's heart wasn't beating as fast as it was, it would have sank; he still felt the shape of Clank's grasp in his hand. Realising the declining state of the ship, he turned his attention to Aphelion and tried to get her to respond.

"Aphelion! Status report!" Ratchet shouted over the devastation desperately wanting a reply, "Aphelion? APHELION!"

Aphelion's eventual reply was scratchy, unclear and kept cutting in and out. Ratchet clutched the steering frantically trying to override Aphelion's auto setting himself. The ship rolled. It was like the sky was caving in. The stars danced in a kaleidoscope of colour in Ratchet's vision; he was losing consciousness. The ship's pressure was crushing his ability to stay awake.

"…Clank." Was the last thing the lombax uttered as the psychedelic display before him lulled him into a state of unconsciousness.

The dancing stars and twirling colours faded to white.

As he closed his eyes the loud rumbling of a crashing ship was alleviated.

"Nice aim you have, Lawrence," a shrilled, malevolent voice broke the heavy silence haunting the unknown ship.

There was no reply as the butler watched Ratchet's ship spiral out of control and descend into the atmosphere of the near planet Rykan V.

A lowly blink from Lawrence followed the commands of his employer, "Set a course back to the moon, we must reposition as quick as possible. Do it _now!_ HURRY!"

A soft, maleficent snicker escaped the doctor. Lawrence didn't need to turn around to know Nefarious had the unconscious Clank in his clutches.

White.

White still filled the mind of Ratchet – then the ship impacted.

Ratchet awoke to the sudden jerk of his body. A massive gasp left his mouth as if it was his first breath. His eyesight still blurring, he grasped the sides of Aphelion's inner protective shell until the ship had finally become stationary. Then it was quiet.

Wiping what he assumed was blood from his mouth, Ratchet observed the scene before him with unclear vision. Beside him, the right side of Aphelion appeared to be almost wholly destroyed. The place where Clank once sat had vanished completely. This was an unhappy reminder that Ratchet had lost the battle for his friend.

Ratchet's thoughts of Clank were suddenly intercepted by Aphelion's attempt to speak.

"Ratchet," she tried, her voice so distorted.

Ratchet only understood "Clank", "sorry" and "damaged."

"Don't worry," Ratchet rasped, his heart still beating fast, "I promise I'll fix you."

Ratchet stroked Aphelion's dashboard; debris obscured it. He winced feeling his right arm burn under the rays of the sun beaming through what was left of the windshield. Cradling his arm, Ratchet watched as the monitor started flickering.

"Come in, rookie!" Cronk's face appeared on the shattered, hardly working monitor.

"We received your distress call and have pinpointed your location," Zephyr's face now.

"Help is on the way, so hang tight!" Cronk appeared again.

"Rook, are you okay?" Zephyr appeared once more.

"What happened?" They both said in unison.

Ratchet dropped his helmet on the floor.

"Clank's gone…"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ V~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


End file.
